We Got the Supply. Where's the Demand?

Remember: December is "Spread the Blove" month. If you enjoy these blog posts, won't you share this with a nearby friend, family member or neighbor? It's a great way to stay in touch between newsletters of the W. 102nd & 103rd Streets Block Association. So tip off a neighbor who can then receive local news directly to his or her email by just filling in an email address at the bottom of each post.

Love the Blog? Spread the Blove!

By Caitlin Hawke

Anyone who has lived here for, say, over 10 years knows of the sea change at the retail level on Broadway. Gone are the fabulous mini-neighborhoods of the Upper West Side. I have recollections of typical Saturdays running around doing my local errands, dropping snow boots off to be waterproofed, buying a fillet of salmon at a fish monger like Joon's, or a lamb shank at Oppenheimer Meats, stopping in at the greengrocer on the east side of Broadway for veggies and then across the street at the Korean deli for a bunch of flowers before heading home to prepare dinner for friends. Or a winter Sunday afternoon spent at the Metro or Olympia cinemas. Or a lazy morning at a local coffee house like Au Petit Beurre, contentedly watching Broadway walk by while other patrons idled around playing backgammon.

Those were the days of lower commercial rents, to be sure. (They were also the days before etailers and mega-chains.) And each 10 blocks or so had a micro-economy, the backbone of which was a squaredealing Ma and Pa, business owners who knew their clientele and ran their own show.

We are quite fortunate in that there are still quite a few Mom & Pops left between W. 96th and 106th Streets on Broadway (see my P.S. below). Some are merchants of longstanding, anchoring their corners. Others are more recent arrivals. We need them all. But each time we lose one, it hurts. I'll write more on this in the next post.

So, have you, like me, been walking up and down Broadway and other of our avenues wondering both how do those small businesses that still exist hang on, and where have all the erstwhile Moms and Pops gone to work now? The vacancies are so bad that the New York Times ran a November 19th editorial about why New York's -- and particularly the Upper West Side's -- storefronts lie dormant.

Fueled by data gathered by City Council member Helen Rosenthal, the Times piece cited a declining retail occupancy rate in an area her office surveyed: of 1,332 storefronts censused, 161 were vacant.

The graphic at right shows a doubling in the last ten years of the vacancy rates on Broadway and Amsterdam. Helen called this vacancy trend a threat to our sense of community. And I tend to agree. You can read her small-business survey from November and dig into the details for yourself.

Is there some baked-in incentive in commercial real estate to keep stores empty and subvert basic supply-and-demand tenets? What happened to rents that fell until a tenant was found? Has it been replaced by "hedge fund urbanism" a speculative way to keep rents high? What is going on here?

But it's not just the empties. Further changing our streetscape, national chains have doubled since the last survey ten years ago; these chains now occupy 40% (up from 17% in 2007) of the storefrontage along the UWS stretch of Broadway. As rents rise, the presence of national and local chains will continue to be strong -- who else can afford unregulated and artificially-inflated commercial rents? (Yes, supply-and-demand subverters, I am looking at you.) Methinks there is a connection.

Relief might be in reach. Starting in July 2018, the threshold that triggers the Commercial Rent Tax (CRT) in Manhattan will double thanks to a brand new City Council reform. So any business whose annual rent is below $500,000 will not have to pay CRT. This is definitely a step in the right direction with some 2000 businesses poised to benefit from this tax relief. But without even more protections, we might as well all help Ma and Pa pack.

Seriously, $500,000 is the rent threshold for the CRT. Think about what a small business would have to gross just to cover half that overhead: it's 3500 fresh juices at $6 a pop every 30 days. Or the monthly sale of 1000 lbs. of salmon fillets.

Just. To. Pay. Rent.

I'm not saying every cobbler, juicery or fishmonger pays a quarter mil in rent each year, but many small businesses do. So we ought not be surprised when they go *poof!* when a massive rent increase hits them. And, more importantly, we need to do our part to support them while they are still here both with our wallets and our voices.

There are a lot of bloggers chronicling disappearances, especially this one, the gold standard, by the indomitable Jeremiah Moss. I also appreciate that Mom & Pop news outlets like the West Side Rag keep us abreast. Its founder and editor, Avi, has been bringing attention to commercial rent issues when he gets the chance, and the Rag's column "Openings & Closings" often cites rent hikes as the culprit that precipitates the death of a shuttering business. The tumbleweed storefront often follows in swift succession.

P.S. This is a big topic. So my next post will have more on the theme of the loss of Mom & Pops, with a hat tip to Avi over at the Rag whose coverage led me to my next topic. Also, for a future post, I am thinking celebrating the Mom & Pops on Broadway and Amsterdam from 96th to 106th and on our side streets from West End to Amsterdam. Have a particular favorite? Send me an email and tell me why you're a fan: blog@w102-103blockassociation.org. Better yet, send me a photo of the shop's facade. Mom & Pop's should be small owner-run, independent one-offs, i.e. not chains or franchises and no corporate backing.

The Bloomingdale School of Music is Just One Go-To Source for Nearby Concerts

by Caitlin Hawke

Yes, it's a neighborhood institution especially if you are looking for lessons, but did you know that the Bloomingdale School of Music also has a nonstop series of concerts, most of which are free, that are just waiting for you? The concert schedule is here and some of BSM's November offerings are below.

In fact, there are lots of musical options nearby. Columbia's Miller Theatre has free pop-up concerts such as one on November 21st by Regional de NY, a Brazilian choro band.

St. Michael's Episcopal Church at 225 W. 99th Street offers choral, organ and piano concerts as well as the occasional opera (not to mention an interesting film series). There's a concert on November 26th, but it isn't free!

And don't forget Vita and Ishmael Wallace's Orfeo Duo! Their local concerts are here.

And finally, keep an eye out for Julia Spring's "Meet Your Talented Neighbors" column in the Block Association newsletter. Often, it features other musicians and their upcoming gigs, though not necessarily right nearby.

Friday, November 3rd7pm - 8pm Virtuosic Voice of the Violin: As part of Bloomingdale School of Music's FREE concert series, faculty artist Claudia Schaer presents a concert of virtuosic violin music spanning the years from 1893-2017. Two of the works were commission specifically for Claudia and will have their debut in violin/piano arrangement on this day. Bloomingdale School of Music (323 West 108th Street).

Saturday, November 11th7pm - 8pm Bernstein Brass Bash: As part of Bloomingdale School of Music's FREE concert series, BSM celebrates Leonard Bernstein's 100th anniversary in a concert featuring rarely heard works for brass instruments including a brilliant arrangement of music from West Side Story. Bloomingdale School of Music (323 West 108th Street).

Friday, November 17th7pm - 8pm Roots and Branches: Jazz Explorations on World Music Traditions: As part of Bloomingdale School of Music's FREE concert series, voice faculty member Jocelyn Medina and a quartet present a diverse program of music from India, Africa, and Brazil incorporated into her original jazz-based compositions. Bloomingdale School of Music (323 West 108th Street).

Saturday, November 18th3:00pm - 5:00pm Jazz Discovery Day Open Workshop: Learn to play jazz in a free, no-pressure group setting. All instruments, ages and abilities welcome! No prior experience or knowledge required. Performances by BSM faculty members, reception to follow. RSVP to llopez@bsmny.org. Bloomingdale School of Music (323 West 108th Street).

A reward for getting to the bottom of this post: my automnal lagniappe along this same theme -- les feuilles morts se ramassent à la pelle -- is a beaut from Serge Gainsbourg covering his forebears in, yes again, the circle game of life marked by fallen leaves. Remember, for those of you reading this directly via your email subscription, click on the title of the post to see the video online.

Neighbors' Work to Be Represented in Borough President Brewer's "Better with Age"

By Caitlin Hawke

I once heard an interviewer ask painter Françoise Gilot (who is well into her 90s now) would she still paint as she ages. Affronted by the question, Madame Gilot responded something akin to: "That's like asking me if I will still breathe. I have been an artist all my life. Why would I stop now?"

I paraphrase but you get the idea.

Stupid question. Great answer.

Now comes an enlightened show from the Manhattan Borough President's Office entitled "Better with Age" featuring artwork from the city's older artists. And I am chuffed that two "hometown" artists have made the cut. Below find Emily Berleth's painting and Bob Lejeune's photograph, both of which will be presented in the show.

It runs from October 11 to November 1, 2017 at the Maggi Peyton Gallery in the Municipal Building downtown at 1 Centre Street, 19th Floor South.

An added neighborhood connection, in case you think 1 Centre Street isn't on my beat: Maggi Peyton died last year and was a Bloomingdaler. From a tribute written about her by Harold Holzer, I am certain blog readers will know her well and understand the rationale behind naming the Municipal Building's gallery in her honor:

"Famously tight-lipped about her bosses, politically sophisticated, intensely loyal, unflappably calm, and a brilliant vote counter in tight elections across the state, Ms. Peyton was also active in the West Side political club Community Free Democrats, and as president of the tenants’ association at Park West Village, her longtime residence."

For more information about the show, contact the Manhattan Borough President's Office. And keep your eyes on this space for news about Bloomingdale Aging in Place's "clothesline show" at the local hostel. It will feature works depicting the neighborhood done by members of the four BAiP art groups.

Age+Art. It ain't just gluing together popsicle sticks, folks.

Neighbor and Art Students League of New York painter Emily Berleth submitted the portrait above. It will be on view at Borough President Gale Brewer's exhibit "Better with Age."

Neighbor and photographer Bob Lejeune submitted the picture above which will also be in the show "Better with Age"

Wednesday, October 4, 2017, at 6:30 p.m.

By Caitlin Hawke

You've stumbled on wet-behind-the-ears and heavily-back-packed Europeans wandering out of the W. 103rd Street station trying to figure out whether to go left or right down the side street, desperately in search of "the hostel." I quickly approach them and say with big eyes and nodding head: "Youth Hostel? Is that what you are looking for?" Often they are relieved, sometimes shocked that a New Yorker has broken the fourth wall. But I remember my days of hostelling, juggling backpack, map, and new-city angst.

But how many of us have actually wandered the halls of this landmarked building, currently inhabited by Hostelling International? How many know the story of its preservation after a spectacular fire gutted it in the mid-1970s? And who knows its place in neighborhood history?

Saturday, September 23, 10 am - 5 pm

By Caitlin Hawke

Come one, come all. Art. Music. Flowers. Audrey. What else does one need in a local event in our very own, beautifully-maintained pocket park? Well maybe the old Schuyler Square (yes as in those Schuyler sisters father) isn't technically a pocket park, but you know what I mean.

Note the rain date. And don't forget to mark your calendar for the W. 104th Street Block Association Street Fair coming up on Saturday, October 14th!

This Website is Your Go-To Source for Back Issues, Too!

By Caitlin Hawke

The Fall 2017 issue of the Block Association's newsletter is now "live" online. You can get to the table of contents by way of this link and click through to articles of interest. It takes a small but powerful army to accomplish this quarterly endeavor. The writers mostly have bylines and may be known to you. But too invisible is the field marshal, Hedy Campbell. It wouldn't exist without her. She is the editor with Jacob Gross co-piloting as associate editor, and, trust me, they toil. Brad Spear does the considerable lift on graphic design. He, too, toils. The three of them deserve an ovation. Incredibly there must be 25 others who contribute to each issue, either as regular columnists or feature writers. If you like what you read, savor it as a very special, all-volunteer produced, labor of love for this community. An in admiration, don't forget to re-up your Block Association membership!

As you've read in past blog posts, this newsletter has been going strong since 1971. The inaugural issue and pieces from many issues since are highlighted in a regular blog feature called "One from the Vault" which you can get to by clicking that link under "Categories" at right (if you are reading this post online) or by clicking here if you receive blog posts directly to your email.

By the way, I have a big backlog to do on the blog, I realize. But do know that more treasures from the vault, more Throwback Thursdays: Bloomingdale Edition, and more It's Elemental features are all coming. But by trickle not by flood.

But back to the Fall 2017 newsletter. I wanted to draw your attention to a piece on BAiP's "Blooming Hour" written by Bob Neuman, which was erroneously credited to me in the print version and corrected here. It is Bob's writing and voice, not at all mine, despite that the Blooming Hour is near and dear to my heart as a key social gathering we run in the activities sector of Bloomingdale Aging in Place.

The whole newsletter is worth your giving it a once over. For example, I'd also point you to the piece on Hosteling International NYC because together with the ﻿Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group﻿, they have a great program coming up on October 4th at 6:30 p.m. on the history of the landmarked building at 891 Amsterdam Avenue and on the hostel itself. I'll try to post a reminder nearer the date.

Check out the current issue because there's much more on Fall Tree Well Clean Up Day (Oct. 14), National Night Out, business news, calls for your participation and art endeavors by talented neighbors. If you are in the catchment of the Block Association, you should have received your print copy this past week, hot off the press.

Attend the Cinematic Upper West Side Cityscape of Woody Allen on Thursday, 9/14

By Caitlin Hawke

Dear Readers, here's a special offer just for you. This Thursday, September 14th, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Landmark West! is presenting "The Cinematic Cityscape of Woody Allen" in its Wild Wild West on Film Series at the screening room at Macaulay Honors College, 35 W. 67th Street. Two for one tickets means if you buy one $20 ticket your guest goes for free. There's more information about this event below. But follow these instructions carefully to claim your offer:

Click here or if that doesn't work, go to this link: https://landmarkwest.ticketspice.com/the-cinematic-cityscape-of-woody-allen-the-wild-wild-west-side-on-film.

Where it says "choose an event," pull the menu down to "Woody Allen Sept 14"

Select the "LW! Member Program" and enter "2" people; then fill in your names and emails and scroll down to the area that says "Use Coupon Code here." Enter "Bloom" in that box and hit the green "Apply" button. That will bring your total down to $19 for two tickets. Enter your credit card information and you should be all set.

If you have any trouble or questions, contact Andra Moss at Landmarks West!

My suggestion to you is to grab another woman, an irrational man (or whatever works) and take the money and run because the sweet and lowdown on this event is that it's a September sleeper about Manhattan interiors and exteriors that husbands and wives and small time crooks alike will enjoy. However some of us are over Woody. But that's a whole other New York story. Enjoy.

Pomander Walk between 94th and 95th Streets off West End Avenue in "Hannah and Her Sisters"

Here's a description of the event from the Landmark West! website:

Woody Allen’s uniquely romantic and comically inventive use of the Upper West Side and its charms is at the thematic heart of some of his most iconic NYC films, including Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Hannah and Her Sisters. From the fabulous façades of the Ansonia and Alwyn Court to rambling Upper West Side interiors (oh those libraries!), it is clear that the UWS is a star all its own in Allen’s cityscape.

The Thalia in "Annie Hall"

Speaker: Paula Uruburu, Professor of English and Film Studies at Hofstra University, is our guide for a cinefantastic tour of New York’s Upper West Side, as seen through the nostalgic and neurotic lens of NYC’s quintessential filmmaker, circa 1977-1986.
She received her Ph.D. from SUNY Stony Brook in English in 1983 with specializations in American literature, film studies and drama. Her last book, American Eve, tells the story of the meteoric rise to fame and the tragic consequences of Gibson Girl Evelyn Nesbit's fated relationships with famed architect Stanford White and murderer Harry Thaw. She is currently finishing a book on the infamous Lizzie Borden. Dr. Uruburu has acted as a consultant to A&E, PBS, the History Channel, and the Smithsonian Channel.

More Reflections of Eclipse 2017

By Caitlin Hawke

A big thank you to Ozzie Alfonso for the three local images below. The first attests once again to that spontaneity and community and wonder we felt last Monday. The second two show that Ozzie is a real photographer with equipment that enabled him to get a decent shot. And he shot it coming and going. The shot at bottom right is prize worthy.

Got any more? Send them along: blog@w102-103blockassn.org.

Neighbors gathered on the SE corner of West End Avenue and W. 102nd Street for Eclipse 2017 (Photos: O. Alfonso)

Free Events!

By Caitlin Hawke

This one speaks for itself, and it's relatively local. Check out "Harlem in the 1960s: Civil Rights & Black Power" on Saturday, September 9th at 11 a.m. at the Harry Belafonte branch on 115th Street. Find details in the flyer below. Hope some of you get to go!

Reason #973 to love the NYPL would be this month's announcement that the library is now streaming a huge back catalogue of films. Learn more here. You need a library card and an internet connection.

It Seems a Few People in Our Midst May Have

By Caitlin Hawke

But not these guys. These neighbors viewed the galactic event from the NW corner of W. 105th Street and Broadway and were captured by shutterbug Bob Lejeune who kindly allowed me to post this shot. My favorite thing about it -- other than the optical illusion that everyone is looking straight at the verboten partial eclipse -- is the woman second from the right who is, herself, eclipsed. Not to scale of course. But here goes. Guy in white? A metaphor for us all looking up from the earth. He is our planet. Guy in blue? The moon. And young woman behind...well she's the brilliant sun semi-eclipsed star that all the others turn their backs to so powerful is her partial light.

If you have any good shots of that phenomenal ambiance we all felt out there on the street in our child-like wonderment, send 'em along. I will post anything related to the eclipse that is nearby.

It was a good week that reminded me of how puny the third rock from the sun is. And of the majesty of our central star.

By the way, you'll thank me for the outro. Scroll down. And remember if you are reading this in an email subscription, you have to click through to the blog by clicking on the blog title above for my lagniappe du jour. Try not to smile!!

Moonshadows Past and Present

By Caitlin Hawke

Who can forget where they were when their first solar eclipse occurred? Memories of admonitions not to look skyward and of instructions on how to make a pinhole viewer on the playground macadam came flooding back these past weeks as eclispe-mania ramped up to fever pitch. I tried to resist the hype but then I realized there might not be many more to behold. We have to wait 'til 2024 to top this one in NYC and after that I can't say.

Nostalgia really came home to roost when every radio spot about the upcoming eclipse recalled Carly Simon's immortalization of the 1970 eclipse in her 45-year old and still inscrutable hit "You're So Vain":

1970 Path of Totality

Well I hear you went to Saratoga
And your horse, naturally, won
Then you flew your Learjet up to Nova Scotia
To see the total eclipse of the sun
Well, you're where you should be all the time
And when you're not, you're with some underworld spy
Or the wife of a close friend,
Wife of a close friend...

That got me leafing through pages and pages on the internet. It's actually sort of fun to look at old eclipse coverage. I turned up the March 1, 1970, New York Times front page piece that made me chuckle about the math. You might enjoy it, too.

I'm not the only one thinking back to bygone solar blackouts. In an excellent blog post on the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group's site, Pam Tice unearthed some local history about the 1925 eclipse, also known as "The West 96 Eclipse." It seems the edge of total darkness was miscaluated and that, in fact, W. 96th Street was the cut off, not further south as predicted. Bedeviling azimuths! I recommend reading the post in full here. While you are on the group's site, take a noodle through it. It's a remarkable achievement to have all this neighborhood information in one place.

And today, August 21, 2017, we get to make new memories, with five-year-olds just starting kindergarten who now have their chance to learn about DIY pinhole viewers on the playground macadam, to return to a bit of much-needed innocence, and to experience the wonderment of our mind-boggling galaxy.

And now for a hidden track.

Totally of its era and sticking with my 70s lookback, the video below by Manfred Mann serves as a nice outro today. A lagniappe for readers of a certain age who remember the zeniths and nadirs of the 1970s.

Be careful out there. Ours is one hot star.

If you are receiving this by email, the video will not load; to view it, you must click on the title of this post -- "Azimuth to Zenith" -- to go to the blog page.

A Slideshow and Deco Walk with Tony Robins on Thursday from Landmark West

By Caitlin Hawke

If you are like me, your jaw drops when you enter some of the Art Deco lobbies in our city. And I love it when coops and landlords tend to the preservation of these details. Of course, right here in Bloomingdale we have our iconic Master Apartments building (aka The Master and The Master Building). It has the magnificent haut Deco Riverside lobby where an event will be held this Thursday featuring Tony Robins's book on this very topic (details in the flyer below). That building, at 310 Riverside Drive, is such a fine specimen from 1929 that just last year it was entered on the National Register of History Places. I've blogged about 310 Riverside Drive here.

Thanks to both the arrival of the IRT, the invention of the elevator and New Yorkers' thirst for modernism, Deco buildings sprung up around Bloomingdale. The Cliff Dwelling (243 Riverside Drive) and its interior and exterior Deco details rivals The Master -- in a good way.

In the meantime, check out the event this Thursday. There's a discount for neighbors who'll get the Landmark West members rate. A bit pricey at $20, but if you love this era as I do, it's probably worth your time and do re mi. I suspect the walking tour that Tony Robins will be giving after the slideshow on Thursday will be well worth the price of admission. And it's always a thrill to see the Riverside lobby of The Master.

Are you a Deco fanatic? Live in a sublime example of this art form? Send me a shot of your lobby or your building. I'll blog it: blog@w102-103blockassn.org.
​

A Public Information Panel on Cognitive Fitness from BAiP for Everyone

By Caitlin Hawke

Thanks to BAiP's Panel Committee, the upcoming June 7th panel features two Columbia University scientists presenting the latest work in neuropsychology and the aging process: "The Aging Brain and How to Keep It Fit." This panel isn't just for the older adults among us!

It will be held on Wednesday at 5 pm (til 6:45) at the Bloomingdale Branch of the New York Public Library, 150 W. 100th Street in the Community Room on the 2nd floor.

So, does it boil down to good genes? Or is it a matter of 'use it or lose it' when it comes to keeping cognitively fit? You might be surprised how compelling the research that argues for staying physically active is for keeping sharp. Speakers will present latest research and some strategies that might be helpful.

Here's the line up. Hope you can join us. I'll be moderating it, wearing my work hat as Senior Science and Strategy Officer at the Columbia Aging Center.

Speakers:

Dr. Richard Sloan is Nathaniel Wharton Professor of Behavioral Medicine. Among his research pursuits as a behavioral scientist, Dr. Sloan examines the effects of exercise for the prevention or slowing of age-related changes in the brain.

Dr. Anna MacKay-Brandt is a neuropsychologist specializing in geriatrics who will speak about evidence-based strategies to improve memory. BAiP's Caitlin Hawke, who is Senior Science and Strategy Officer at the Columbia Aging Center, will moderate. With articles -- like this one from last week's New York Times -- regularly recommending strategies to stave off memory loss through behavior modification, we thought the research focus of this panel would be compelling to BAiP's members.

A Henge of Our Own

By Caitlin Hawke

This is a call for your pictures of Manhattanhenge as seen from Bloomingdale. The American Museum of Natural History has published dates that the sun will set directly at the end of our numbered streets given the slightly northeasterly-southwesterly access of Manhattan. The Block Association rolls out the white carpet each December to fete the Winter solstice. You can read about that in this post here.

But now here's a neighborhood nod to the Summer solstice, albeit adjusted for Manhattan's axis. Neil deGrasse Tyson explains it all in the video embedded below. (If you are reading this in an emailed version of the blog feed, click on the title of the post or here to see the video.)

So go out and shoot some photos on any of these days, and send me your pictures. Or maybe you are a watercolorist and want to paint it. I'll post all depictions of this ancient pagan celebration of the longest days of the year. Email them to me at: blog@w102-103blockassn.org

Summer is nearly here, folks. And as a lagniappe, I dug up a video of the lovely ginger, Teddy Thompson (son of Linda and Richard), covering a favorite song of mine by Kate McGarrigle, Saratoga Summer Song. Scroll on down and enjoy.

And don't forget! Best 'henge viewing is on wider streets, but leafed-out trees on one-way cross streets might make for interesting shots:

Come on Out for a Concert in Straus Park on Wednesday, May 24th at 5 pm

By Caitlin Hawke

A free concert in Straus Park is coming up on Wednesday, May 24th at 5 p.m. I am sure The Blues Vipers will be terrific. But am I the only one wondering when the Friends of Straus Park will organize a Strauss Waltz Party? Strauss in Straus. Come on, admit you love to waltz.

In the meantime, come get your fill of the blues -- The Blues Vipers of Brooklyn, to be precise. Who knows, there might even be a few numbers in 3/4 time.

See You on West 103rd Street from Riverside to West End, 10 am to 4 pm

By Caitlin Hawke

The day you've all been waiting for will not be a rain-kissed slog! We have seasonally-appropriate weather in store all day tomorrow. Come on out and support your Block Association. Find treasures from your neighbors. Stop in at the Bloomingdale Aging in Place table. Hang out with a few jaunty dogs who always make the strut down the street. And just come be a member of this wonderful small town we all call home in this crazy place we call Planet Earth. It's local. It's free. And it is all waiting for you all day Saturday, May 20th from 10 am to 4 pm.

Preview of the Treasures in Store for Saturday

By Caitlin Hawke

You are hereby reminded! Saturday, 10 am-4 pm, is the signature event of the Block Association: a Block Party on W. 103rd from Riverside Dr. to West End Ave.

The extended forecast shows a gorgeous 70 degree day. But if past is prologue, the weather doesn't matter a whit. What matters is the excellent ambiance of neighbor encountering neighbor while discovering treasure upon treasure.

To "prime the pump" (it's an expression I just made up), our neighbors KC and Peter have a girl's bike for sale for $65. It's in great condition. Proceeds will go straight to the block association. If you like what you see in the picture, email me at blog@w102-103blockassn.org, and I'll get you in touch so you can be the new proud owner: bell, butterfly basket, tassels and all.

A Lecture and Tour on May 16th - Get Schooled in Bloomingdale History

By Caitlin Hawke

Note to readers: This is a reposting of an event that was sidelined by the March snowstorm now rescheduled for May 16th.

OK, so maybe it's not technically Bloomingdale, but West 91st Street boasts a little slice of Manhattan history in that it is the site of the Trinity School, originally founded downtown at Trinity Church over 300 years ago. Our friends at the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group have a treat in store with this presentation and a special behind-the-scenes tour of the school.

Come on out for it this special event!

Discover the History of the Trinity SchoolTuesday, May 16th at 6:30 p.m.
Trinity School, 101 West 91st Street
between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.

Founded at downtown Trinity Church in 1709 and now one of the oldest schools in the US, the school moved uptown in 1895 occupying
a series of lots on West 91st Street in the midst of the rows of
townhouses of turn-of-the-century Upper West Side.

Learn how the school evolved from church-sponsored to ecumenical,
from a charity school to a private school, from all-boys to co-educational and
to a school that now prides itself on its diverse student body.

Presenters will include:
Kevin Ramsey, Director of Communications,
alumna and two parents of alumni, one of whom is a former teacher and
the other of whom is a member of the first class of girls at the school
and a member of the Board of Trustees.

A tour of the school will follow the presentation and is accessible to all.
Please note: the tour includes stairs.

Bogie in Bloomingdale

The "One from the Vault" feature plumbs the archives of back issues of Block Association newsletters for the benefit of new neighbors and lovers of our community and its history. To read other pieces from the vault, click on the category at right.

By Caitlin Hawke

Hearing the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group's talk last week about our neighborhood's cameos in the moving pictures as presented by Gary Dennis and Jim Mackin, I was transported to the days of the Movie Place. I remember ungodly hot summer days -- on Fridays after work -- heading over there to load up on videos, a full pile, to watch in a cool, dark place while Mother Nature had her scorching way with the city.

My first floor window on Riverside Drive had bars, and so the only A/C I could use was neither deep-bodied nor powerful since it had to fit in a very tight spot.

Remember the Easy-Bake Oven that operated on the wattage of a lightbulb and actually baked your treat? Well, the output of this A/C was the cooling equivalent of baking with a lightbulb. Eventually, if I didn't move around and if I sheeted off the back half of my beloved first studio to keep the "cool" air contained, I could bring the temperature down just enough to sit there and not drip...while I watched my cache from the Movie Place.

Ok, so back to my point. Gary Dennis, who came to own the Movie Place, as many neighbors well know, and who grew up around here, was driven by his film obsession to commemorate the old residence of the boy who would become Bloomingdale's biggest Hollywood legend, Humphrey Bogart. Bogie's childhood home is 245 West 103rd Street. And there, thanks to Gary, you can see the plaque.

Below, a September 2006 Block Association newsletter article -- one from the vault -- by David Reich tells the whole tale of the commemoration. David shared the color photo at the bottom of this post.

The whole affair makes me want to whistle a cheer. You know how to whistle, don't cha?

Saturday's Weather Looks Promising, So Come Out and Plant!

By Caitlin Hawke

Just a reminder that our nod to Earth Day is a hyper-local one: we're planting the tree wells and generally throwing some TLC to our beloved trees (but don't get me started on that now-dead gingko). It all happens this Saturday. And I am reiterating my request here for pictures. I will make a gallery and your labors of love will be duly recorded.

This Saturday. 878 West End Ave. 10 a.m.

And with that, I have a few special terrestrial Tiny Tim numbers as an Earth Day lagniappe. You cannot dispute that he was a man well ahead of his time in so many ways. A true original. I loved him then and ever shall. (The world has grown canned before our eyes.)

So put aside everything you know about autotuning, Katy Perry and 1D. And for the love of Pete, scroll down! I hope you will enjoy this Throwback Thursday inspired collection. And don't forget that if you are receiving this via email, you'll have to click on the post title to view the embedded videos on the actual blog page.

Again, if you are receiving this via email, you'll have to click on the post title to view the embedded videos on the actual blog page. Here goes!

I just can't resist including this one. Thanks for bearing with me.... Happy Earth Day!

NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer Calls You to a Town Hall

By Caitlin Hawke

On Thursday, April 6th at 6:30 pm, neighbors may avail themselves of Scott Stringer's Town Hall at Goddard Riverside Community Center, 593 Columbus Avenue. If you are a Seinfeld fan, it's like Festivus without the pole. Just come to air grievances. RSVP to action@comptroller.nyc.gov.

Seen in the Neighborhood with the Vernal Equinox Drawing Nigh

By Caitlin Hawke

On a day when so many of us sacrificed our duty to work out of respect for the laws of Nature (and delight at a late season snow day), Duty and Sacrifice stood proudly in service at the Firemen's Memorial on Riverside Drive (below).

Neighbors, be warm, this Ides of March!

Duty

Sacrifice

Decorating the Firemen's Memorial are sculptures carved by Attilio Piccirilli which depict muse Audrey Munson (above). To see Munson's appearances throughout New York, click here to navigate to a September post. More sculptures from the 1913 memorial below.

The Story of Trinity School - A Lecture and Tour on March 14th

**UPDATED AT 10:30 PM, MONDAY 3/13: DUE TO WEATHER, THE TALK TOMORROW (3/14) ON TRINITY SCHOOL HAS BEEN POSTPONED. I WILL REPOST ONCE THE NEW DATE IS DETERMINED.

By Caitlin Hawke

OK, so maybe it's not techincally Bloomingdale, but West 91st Street boasts a little slice of Manhattan history in that it is the site of the Trinity School, originally founded downtown at Trinity Church over 300 years ago. Our friends at the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group have a treat in store with this presentation and a special behind-the-scenes tour of the school.

Come on out for it this special event!

Discover the History of the Trinity SchoolTuesday, March 14th at 6:30 p.m.
Trinity School, 101 West 91st Street
between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.

Founded at downtown Trinity Church in 1709 and now one of the oldest schools in the US, the school moved uptown in 1895 occupying
a series of lots on West 91st Street in the midst of the rows of
townhouses of turn-of-the-century Upper West Side.

Learn how the school evolved from church-sponsored to ecumenical,
from a charity school to a private school, from all-boys to co-educational and
to a school that now prides itself on its diverse student body.

Presenters will include:
Kevin Ramsey, Director of Communications,
alumna and two parents of alumni, one of whom is a former teacher and
the other of whom is a member of the first class of girls at the school
and a member of the Board of Trustees.

A tour of the school will follow the presentation and is accessible to all.
Please note: the tour includes stairs.

And the Winner of Best Current Season Goes to Spring. No Scratch That. To Winter!

By Caitlin Hawke

Is it just me or is this March madness in sync with the zeitgeist? I mean, just when you were getting ready to call it a season, Mother Nature threw you a curve ball, didn't she? Sort of like Warren Beatty letting us know that "Moonlight" won best picture after we sat through all the "La La Land" acceptance speeches.

Well, pass the mic back to Old Man Winter. He's taking a victory lap for winner of "Current Season." And it looks like the speech might last 'til Tuesday.

If you think it's bad here, the hand-wringing in DC is at an all-time high over the cherished cherry blossoms that have bounded ahead of schedule. So much so that the Washington Post wrote a piece yesterday about the peril the peduncles are in. Washingtonians are watching those blooms so closely you'd think they are mating pandas. (Inside DC joke).

Seen today on Broadway: Tulip shoots and snow

But it makes me wonder: am I the only one happy that our friend and neighbor Bob Donohue saw this scene below outside his window this morning? What I find reassuring is to have this proof, however belatedly, that our planet still knows how to freeze at our latitude.